The Hen Report: “Depending on Who You Ask” | NAMs, Animal-Free Science & the Future of Lab Research

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan welcome flock member and postdoctoral researcher Neha Nataraj from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Neha attended the Johns Hopkins/PCRM Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science — a free, four-day conference focused on reducing and replacing animal use in biomedical research and toxicology — and shares what she learned about the cutting-edge science, the people driving it, and the complex realities of working toward a world with fewer animals in labs.

• Non-animal methods (NAMs) explained: Neha breaks down the three main categories of new approach methodologies — in vitro (cell cultures, organoids, organ-on-a-chip), in chemico (molecular analysis), and in silico (AI and computer modeling) — and where each stands in replacing animal testing.
• Federal momentum for animal-free science: The NIH’s newly created Office of Research Innovation Validation and Application (ORIVA) signals growing government investment in NAMs, with a goal of fully replacing animals in preclinical drug testing — though full replacement in basic biomedical research remains a longer-term challenge.
• The human side of animal research: A standout panel featuring Maddie Krasno (Executive Director, Justify), Madhu Nag, MBS, PhD (CSO, inSphero), and Alexis Feidler, MS (Neuroscience PhD candidate, University of Rochester). explored the emotional toll animal research takes on scientists, and how some have redirected entire careers toward humane alternatives.
• PCRM’s outsized impact: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine was highlighted as a key driver of systemic change, including securing the FDA’s I-STAND program, which allocates dedicated funding for non-animal methods.
• Upcoming documentary — “The New Gold Standard”: A brand-new film about cutting-edge science replacing animal testing had its second-ever screening at the conference; watch for its release on PBS this fall.

RESOURCES

• • • • • 2026 Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science
        • Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing
        • Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
        • Current Affairs VOL. 10, ISSUE 4
        • Losing Our Cruelty
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